Pages

July 19, 2008

The San Francisco Treat

Ok. How crazy is it that I go away to a blogging conference and don't even have a chance to blog?

It's been a blast here, I tell you. So incredibly amazing and fun and each new thing we get to do, we say "this is our favorite so far!"

Our flight was tight and cramped and I could not wait to get off. But from the moment we were in San Francisco, everything was going our way.Arianne & I checked into our hotel at the Westin St. Francis and collapsed on the super soft beds. But not before I immediately called room service and ordered a massive amount of celery. They had to place my order as a fresh salad with extra extra celery and look what came... it was soooo worth the massive amount it cost. And I ate the salad, too. It was good.

We had on-camera interviews with Janice & Susan from 5 Minutes For Mom, so we headed downstairs to get our hair & makeup done. The interviews went great and soon we were off to get ready for the AlltopKirtsy party hosted by my friend Gabrielle (Design Mom) and Guy Kawasaki. It was in Atherton at Guy's amazing house. This party was the place to be. If only I could list everyone here, but I just can't this very moment! Pictured: Arianne, Me, Guy, & Amy. You can see all of Guy's photos from the party here. And all of Amy's photos from the weekend here.

We got back late from the party and then decided to head out to see what was going on in the city. This lead us to trying to find some place to eat at 12 am. Amy, Arianne, MJ, and I ended up at a Thai restaurant and it was the best pad Thai ever... and we were half asleep and loopy I tell you. We took crazy hilarious photos with our iPhones and laughed probably too much. It was the best. We got back to our hotel way super late and crashed. I slept straight through the night- it was awesome.

Yesterday morning was the official start of BlogHer and soon the place was swarming with women bloggers. So many people to meet and hug and chat. It's been great to finally see Shannon from Rocks In My Dryer in person, as well as Melanie from Don't Try This At Home and Mary from Owlhaven, who was the first person to get me to cry. Love her. I think we all might be doing dinner or a pajama party tonight, right girls?

The exhibit halls full of sponsors is incredible and my BlogHer sponsors from Adoptic were so gracious and wonderful to meet in person. Again- if you want an invite to feature your blog on Adoptic- let me know and I'll send one your way!

Yesterday for lunch Arianne & I got to dine with Rocco DiSpirito as he demonstrated some great Bertoli sauces and pasta cooking. We sat at a fun table which included Rockin Mama- adorable!

Of course I am going to try to mention everyone else I've met, too, but I'm also using Amy's computer right now and don't want to be a blog hog...

Yesterday afternoon we had the special opportunity as part of the Silicon Valley Moms group to have makeovers at Saks Fifth Avenue with professional headshots taken by a photographer. It was too fun (my makeup was Armani) and I was so very tempted to buy a $345 dress.

Then we met up with our favorite gals from BSM Media and Mom Select- Natalie & Amy- and hopped on the trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was so fun and we had the best dinner at Alioto's. The food, conversation, & laughter was just icing on the cake to being able to hang with such terrific people. How blessed I am to have these friends that you don't even have to know in real life to already have a relationship. But being able to hug and hang out in person is definitely an amazing bonus.

All five of us crammed into a cab and got back to the hotel early (for us) around 11. I went straight to bed and the rest of the girls went who knows where as they were still up for some night life.

And that brings me here. Saturday morning. Another day of BlogHer and meeting more of my favorite bloggers. I have a massage later in the Barefoot & Pregnant suite and think there's some shopping and dinner with friends in my future. I could really get used to this...

Your the BEST Steph! I'm so glad we got to meet this weekend.. FINALLY right! Friday night was GREAT! The cable car ride and the food down at the Wharf was amazing. But the best part was being able to hang out with you, Arianne, and MJ! Thank you again for an amazing weekend!